The trick is that Carol was meticulous about saving paperwork. That means that all the receipts, statements, returns, etc that I needed were in her office. Along with every piece of paper I didn't need.

Sorting through the papers is slow work. I have no trouble throwing out old lists of things to do and shopping lists. I can't throw out her notes on what to do with her stories, and every so often I stumble across a few of her journal pages. Those are tough, whether they're from our marriage or years before I met her.